Roy Keane has voiced his doubts regarding Martin Odegaard’s contribution to Arsenal, following their defeat to Manchester City. Keane’s assessment came as Arsenal legend Ian Wright proposed a tactical adjustment involving Odegaard.
Keane’s Critique and Wright’s Alternative
Following Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Man City, Roy Keane shared his thoughts on Odegaard’s performance. Journalist Henry Winter noted Odegaard embodies Arsenal’s “nice, neat football but doesn’t hurt elite opponents enough.”
During a discussion on The Overlap, Ian Wright outlined what he would have done differently for the team against Man City. Keane responded that while Odegaard is “tidy”, he needs to offer more.
Wright’s suggestion involved a positional switch: “I would have put Declan in Zubimendi’s position. I would put Odegaard in where Declan is, and then I would put Eze as a 10.”
Keane observed: “I still don’t think Odegaard is enough. He’s neat and tidy and he’s good but…”
Arsenal Eyeing Odegaard Replacements
Despite Odegaard’s contract running until the summer of 2028, Arsenal’s sporting director Andrea Berta is reportedly looking at potential replacements. Arda Guler is one player Arsenal have been ‘in touch’ with.
Guler, like Odegaard, excels as an attacking midfielder but can also play on either wing. The German media has reported that Arsenal have already made an offer to sign Ibrahim Maza from Bayer Leverkusen.
The €40million (£35m) offer from the Gunners has been turned down. The Algeria international has been deployed primarily as an attacking midfielder and has drawn interest from Man City, too.
Odegaard’s Current Form
- Odegaard returned to the Arsenal starting line-up against Man City after missing the previous two games due to injury.
- The Arsenal captain gave four key passes against Man City.
- Odegaard often dropped deep to initiate attacks for the north London club.
Odegaard is 27 now and is under contract at Arsenal until the summer of 2028.
Arsenal have made a bid to sign a Bayer Leverkusen and Algeria international attacking midfielder to replace Martin Odegaard.